Dozens of protesters gathered in the city to show their support for Palestine after Israel launched air strikes following an attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The demonstrators, from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, gathered at the Clock Tower in North Street, Brighton, to show support for civilians in the region affected by the conflict.

Two police officers were at the scene as some passersby expressed discontent at the demonstration.

The Argus: Protesters held banners

The gathering was led by a speaker who used a megaphone to share his speech with passersby.

He said: “We are demanding that Israel end its renewed bombing of Gaza. 200 Palestinians are estimated to have been killed and more than 1,600 wounded.”

Several protesters held placards and signs which read “Free Palestine,” accompanied by chants of the same words.

On Saturday in Israel, the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on the country, with its fighters entering communities near the Gaza Strip, killing residents and taking hostages.

Israel launched immediate air strikes, saying it was targeting militant sites in Gaza.

There is constant tension between Israel and Hamas, but the attack by the militants on Saturday came without warning.

It comes after Rabbi Gabriel Kanter-Webber from the Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue wrote to the local group to ask it to “urgently reconsider” its demonstration this afternoon.

In an open letter to the group, he said: “I am deeply, deeply sympathetic to the plight of Palestinian people. The occupation of the West Bank is illegal and wicked […] Yet none of this can possible justify attacks on a garden party or the kidnap of dozens of civilians.

“I share, unreservedly, your horror at the murder of Palestinians in recent weeks and, with great sadness, agree that blame lies at the door of settlers."

The Rabbi said the group’s publicity for their protest showed they were “either explicitly or implicitly pro-Hamas”.